How to Become a Christian

Converting to Christianity is much more than embracing a new religion. It is all about coming into a personal relationship with God, the Holy Father and Creator of all things, through his only son, Jesus Christ. It is a very personal decision that should not be entered into lightly. Jesus said in the Bible that we should count the costs before committing our lives to him, to ensure that we don't fall away from our commitment when life gets tough. To become a Christian, you must simply follow the ABC approach to entering into a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father.

A: Acknowledge your Sin
The first step in learning how to become a Christian is to acknowledge that you are a sinner. In fact, everyone has "sinned and fallen short of the glory of God", as the book of Romans tells us in the Bible. Sin entered into God's perfectly created world through Adam and Eve – when they took a bite of the fruit from the tree of knowledge after God told them not to. At that point, our fallen world became vulnerable to death and decay, and we were all destined for eternity separated from God.

B: Believe in the Gift of Salvation
But God didn't want that. He wanted to provide a way for us to reconcile to Him through forgiveness of our sins. The second step of learning how to become a Christian involves believing that God provided this route to forgiveness and salvation. He did so by offering his only son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice to atone for the sins of man. Jesus died on the cross, and when he did so, he took the sin of mankind on his shoulders and suffered the punishment and separation from God that was necessary for salvation for all. When Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, he broke the bonds of death and allowed us to come into a life with God for all eternity.

C: Commit your Life to Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is your personal savior, who willingly died on the cross to take your sins away before God. The third step in becoming a Christian is to commit your life to the one who saved you once and for all. Some people don't like to take this step, because they are afraid that making the commitment will mean they give up control of their lives and have to live by a list of rules that they had no say in. On the contrary; committing your life to Jesus Christ means that you have freedom in the knowledge that you are God's child and that you will be with him no matter what happens in life.

This ABC approach is done by prayer; you confess your sins to God, ask him to forgive you through the blood of Jesus Christ and commit your life to His perfect will. Once you have prayed that prayer, you are God's child and no one can separate you from His love.